The Death of the Dark Magicians
by Kestrel4
Summary: Scene snippet from The Master of Magicians trilogy. Arcana goes too far...


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The Death of the Dark Magicians

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by Kestrel

This comes from the scene in the trilogy Master of Magicians where Arcana uses the Ectoplasmer card against Yugi. For those of you who didn't see that trilogy, this might not make sense. It's basically a scene snippet with thoughts. I've been doing a lot of them lately. 

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"The chains bind your Dark Magician, putting him out of play. He can only watch helplessly as I annihilate you!"

Arcana flipped a sadistic grin as well as another magic card towards his horrified opponent. "And now I play the magic card Ectoplasmer. Ectoplasmer draws the energy from my monsters and hurls it directly at you!"

The red-robed mage's eyes bulged a little at this statement. _What?! I knew my master was insane… but not like this! _

He glanced back at the youth opposite his master. Yugi, his name was. _That boy is brave, but he will not be able to stand against a direct attack from any monster's drained soul._

Another horrified look at Arcana. _He would not drain _my_ soul, would he? He needs me. I have always been there for him, always protected him even when he did not want me to. A part of me has always been inside of him. Does he really want to throw all of that away?_

"Ectoplasmer, extract the Doll's soul!"

Arcana giggled and clapped like a schoolboy as the Doll collapsed upon the floor, his soul a mere blob of energy hanging in the air. That energy was sucked into the Ectoplasmer card.

"Here's where it gets interesting!"

The ectoplasm was hurled towards Yugi at a frightening speed. The red-robed mage faintly sense the blue-robed magician's mute cry of horror as the shot struck home. Yugi's growl of pain echoed in the red-robed mage's ears, and he cringed.

The dark energy disk slid forward, resting at 700. 

Fear suddenly struck the red-robed mage. _He would not… would he?_

Thoughts danced through his horror-stricken mind. Thoughts of the duels he and his master had fought together, thoughts of all the victories he'd brought to the masked madman. _And he's going to throw my life away as though I were… as though I were… but nothing, not even a Kuriboh, would deserve such treatment from its master! A monster is supposed to love and protect his master, and the master in turn is to do the same. But Arcana, lately, has been showing none of the kindness he first showed me._

Sparing a glance back at the woman's form in the back room, the red-robed mage's heart plummeted. _Even though I know she is not really there, I cannot tell him. I cannot speak! He will callously sacrifice me to save her; I know it. And this betrayal is too great for words._

He hung his head as the magic card stole away his soul. _And I am ashamed._

His body collapsed upon the dueling arena floor. Yugi couldn't believe it. Not only had Arcana so callously destroyed his Dark Magician, but now the soul of that mage was hurtling towards him. Yugi's eyes slid to his trapped magician, and seemed to harden. A slight nod in the magician's direction, as though to say farewell, and then Yugi's eyes rested once more upon the instrument of his doom.

The red-robed mage wept as he was flung towards the boy. _I do not wish to hurt this child. If there were another way…_

The blue-robed magician made up his mind in turmoil, and closed his steely blue eyes. His strong body slumped in the chains and then disappeared as his own soul shot towards the soul of the red-robed mage. 

"What?" Yugi and Arcana gasped in unison.

The souls clashed then, in the dark of the arena. The thoughts of the Dark Magicians melded and they both sensed each other's emotions.

_I am sorry,_ the red-robed mage thought sorrowfully, dully. 

_There is no need,_ Yugi's blue-robed magician answered kindly. _You could not have foreseen such a betrayal._

I am ashamed of my master's actions.

But his actions are no fault of yours. My master will see to it that your master is punished for his callousness as well as his heartlessness.

The red-robed mage lifted his soulless eyes to meet those of Yugi's dark magician. _Thank you._ Then his eyes became thoughtful. _In another age, your master could have been Pharaoh._

The blue-robed magician offered a small smile at this. _In another age, my master _was_ Pharaoh._

"They'll destroy each other!" Yugi cried helplessly. In his mind flashed the dark magician's eyes, so strong and so resigned to sacrifice himself in order to save the boy he loved. His beloved magician's thoughts echoed in his own:

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I will always be there to protect you, my master. I love you. Our bond will never be broken.

And then, the dark magician's last words, spoken to the red-robed mage:

_In another age, my master _was_ Pharaoh._

Then silence overtook the arena.

The two faithful magicians were gone.


End file.
